Automobile-wheel.



P. J. RIVERS.

AUTOMOBILE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1910v 1,01 7, 171 Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

ATTORNEYS I rnrnrr J. RIVERS, or new ROCHELLE, new Yonx AUroMoBIrn-wHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. i3, @912.

Application filed May 9, 1910. Serial No. 560,200.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that'l, PHILIP J. RIVERS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Rochelle, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-lVheelsTof which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The main object of this invention is to provide an automobile wheel with a knuckle joint embodied within the hub of the wheel, the saidjoint being in a vertical plane passing through the middle ,of"the tread of the wheel whereby in turning the wheel on the said axis, the pivotal point of'the wheel will be in the center of that portion of the wheel tread bearing on the wheel supporting surface. The purpose of this is to prevent the lateral shifting or sliding of the wheel, which is necessary where the axis of the knuckle joint is outside of the plane of the wheel or offset from a vertical plane pass ing through the middle of the wheeltread.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and efiective universal joint for connecting the driving shaft to the wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple means for holding the rollers of the roller bearings in their proper relative positions so that all of the said rollers may be removed from the bearings and retained in their relative operative positions.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claim at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the wheel hub showing the driving shaft connected. thereto and a perstionofthe casing inclosing said shaft; Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view on the line HH of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a detail view of the roller-holding device; Fig. a detail elevation of the eiid of the drive shaft casing showing a portion'of the stationary beartransverse vertical sectional view of the hub on the line V-V of Fig. 1.

Referring to the various parts by riumerals, l designates the axle casing provided at each of its ends with the enlargement 2 mg ring connected. thereto; Fig. 5 a,

said lugs being arranged at the upper and lower edges of the said enlargement. Extending through the casing 1 is a shaft or axle 4 which is provided at each of its ends with the disk-like enlargement 5, said enlargement being formed with the outwardly extending arms 6 which form one member of the universal joint. The axle casing is formed with a recess at its inner end which is adapted to receive the enlargement 5 of the axle. In the axle casing is arranged a roller bearing 8. The disk 5 forms a dustguard for the bearing 8 and prevents the entrance of dirtand dust therein.

Secured to the lugs 3 is a non-rotatable bearing ring 9, said ring being secured in position by means of pins 10 which pass inwardly through said ring and through the lugs 3. These pins form vertical pivots on which. the saidbearing ring may swing and the axis of these pins pass through the midfor a purpose which Wlll dle of said ring, more fully hereafter appear. Surrounding the bearing ring and spaced therefrom a suitable distance, is*a hub bearing ring 11, said ring extending inwardly from the main body 12 of the hub. interposed between the non-rotatable bearing ring and the rotatable hub bearing ring is a roller bearing 13 which supports the wheel and on which the wheel rotates. The non-rotatable bearing ring is formed at its inner end with an annular outwardly-extending flange 14 which forms a dust-guard for the inner side of the roller bearing, said flange fitting against 'a shoulder formed on the inner edge of the hub ring. To hold the rollers centrally disposed between the bearing rings, the non-rotatable ring is formed with ashoulder 15 and the rotatable ring is formed" with a shoulder 16,

said shoulders preventing any undue lateral shifting of the rollers.

The main body of the hub is bored axially to receive a stem l7 which is formed at its inner end with the enlarged disk 18. This dish is provided with the inwardly-extend ing arms 19 which correspond with the arms 6 of the disk 5 and form the other member of the universal joint, said arms being disposed at right angles to the arms 6. Em-

braced'by the arms 6 and 19 is a ball 20, the 1 arms 19 being connected to said ball by means of a pin 21 and the arms 6 being connected thereto by the studs 22. The inner surfaces of the arms 19 and 6 are concave and with the outwardly-extending lugs 3, J to adapt them to embrace the ball and to are prevent the longitudinal movement of the 7 said arms to disconnect them from-the ball.

It is clear from Fig. 1, that the arms 19 can spindle 17; this is also true of the arms 6.

This is important for the reason that it prevents the accidental disconnection of the universal joint while the wheel is assembled,

even should the pin 21 or the studs-22 be broken or detached. v

The outer end of the spindle 17 is threaded, and said spindle is grooved, as at 23, to receive a key 24. The adjoining part of the hub 12 is grooved, as at 25, toreceive a portion of the said key whereby the spindle will be keyed to the hub and will-turn with it. The outer end of the key is reduced and threaded to'correspond with thethreaded end of the spindle 17. A nut 26 is screwed on the end of the spindle l7 and engages the threaded end of the key 24 for the purpose of drawing the beveled surface 27 of the disk 18 against a corresponding beveled surface on the innerface of the hub. This nut also engages the threaded end of the key and locks the, key in position. i

.The center of the ball 20 of theuniversal joint is axially in line with the centers of the pins 10 so that the turning points between the two parts of the driving axle and the pins of the hub are in the same vertical The spindle 17 forms a part of the line.

driving; axle 4, the two parts of said axle being connected together by means of the universal joint;

The hub 12 is formed'on its inner face with an annular shoulder 28 against which an annular dust-excluding washer 29 rests, said washer being carried' by the non-rotatable bearing ring and being held in position by an expanding ring 30. By means of this washer and the flange 14, dust will be eiiectually excluded from the bearing 13.

From the inner edge of the rotatable bearing ring an annular spoke-supporting flange 31 extends, said flange being preferably formed integral with the rotatable bearing ring. A removableflange 32 secures the inner ends of the spokes in position on the hub, said flange being bolted to theflange 21 by any suitable means. Y v

A dust cap 33 is secured to the outer end of the hub, and it will, of course, be understood that any suitable form of dust-excluding device may be employed to close the inner side of the non-rotatable bearing rmg.

The rollers 8 and 13 are reduced in diameter midway between their ends to form the grooves 34 to receive the roller-holding rings 35 and 36. The outer ring 36 is formed with the bearing portions 37 to receive the reduced parts of the rollers, and said ring is continuous, that is to say; it is not a split ring. The ring is formedwith bearing portions 38 which are adapted to fit around the inner side of the reduced portion of. the roller, and this ring is a split ring which may be reduced in diameter to enable it to be placed within the grooves 34. It will,vof course, be understood that when the two rings are in position, the rollers will beheld spaced apart asuitable dis-' tanceand will be maintained in that position atall times. It is also manifest that when the rollers are secured within the rings, the entire roller bearing may be moved without disturbing the relative po-" vantage in assembling wheels and in taking sitions of the rollers. This is a great ad them apart for cleaning andrepair.

Connected to the non-rotatable bearing ring 9 is a steering arm 39 which ma "be connected by a rod 40 to any suitable orm v of steering means. r

From the foregolng, it ismanifest that I provide a steering wheel wherein the axis ofQlatera-l movement is directly over they point of contact between the wheel and itssupporting surface, and that, therefore,-the wheel turns as on a center-and has -no. lateral or swinging movement at the point of contact betweenithe wheel tread and'the sup- 7 porting surface. This is manifestly of great advantage as it relieves the tire of the excessive strain brought upon it by bodily. shifting it or twisting it over the supporting surface during the steering operations. Allother great advantage of this constructionor other obstructions, there is 'no tendency of, the wheel to swing around on the knuckle. joint as the supporting point andthe axis of lateral swinging movement is'wit-hin the plane of the wheel. It is manifest that this wheel my be used as a steering wheel or. as a drive wheel. It is particularly welladapted. for eavy trucks wherein the drive -mechanisn1 is onnected to the fore wheels.

an inwardly projecting spoke receiving ring,

said ring being provided on its inner surface with" end shoulders, said hub having its inner face provided with an annular shoulder, a non-rotatable bearing ring within the spoke ring and spaced therefrom, said bearing ring being provided 125 with a flange for engaging one of the shoulders of the spoke ring, antifriction bearings interposed between the spoke and bearing rings and engaging the shoulder of the bearing ring .and one of the shoulders of the 130 i is that that when the wheel strikes stones,

spoke ring, a Washer seated on the hub means for universally connecting the axle w shoulderv and engaging the bearing ring,-a and spindle arms. i resilient ring for holding the Washer in com This specification signed and. witnessed tact with the bearing ring, an axle casing this 2nd day of May A. D. 1910. or

meeting the arms tmthe bearing ring, an axle projecting through the casing and pro- Witnesses:

having end arms, means pivotally coni s PHILIPJ. RIVERS.

vided with end arms, a 'splndle carried by W. A. TOWNER, J13, the hub andprovided' with end arms, and L. I.

(topics or this pstent nialy he' obtained forfive cents each, by addressing the 1" Gommlasioner 0! Patents,

' Washlngton, D. G." I 

